4'2Q -^^ D, 1270. 



ing and peftllential fhore of Africa is unconneded with the fubjecl of 

 this work. 



The Venetians now aflumed fo much authority in the Adriatic fea, 

 that they demanded a toll, or tranfit duty, proportioned to the quantity 

 of the cargo, from all veffels navigating that fea, efpecially from thofc 

 going between Pola (a town near the fouth point of Iflria) and Venice. 

 The Bononians (or Bolognians), after three years of refufal and warfare, 

 agreed to open the navigation of fome of the mouths of the Po, which 

 they had the command of, to the Venetians, on condition of being al- 

 lowed a free exportation of certain kinds of merchandize. The people 

 of Ancona applied to the pope for his paternal interpolition to free 

 them from the impofition, and he ordered the Venetians to defifl from 

 taking it. But they anfwered his holinefs, that he was not properly in- 

 formed of the affair ; and, the pope being in hafte to go to the council 

 of Lyons, nothing further was done by him. {^Platina Vit. pont. p, 438, 

 ed. 1664.] 



Mangou-Timour, a grandfon of Zingis-khan, and fovereign of the 

 weftern Tatars, gave feveral of his cities and provinces to his relations \ 

 and, particularly, he gave the cities of Crim and Caffa to Oran-Timour. 

 Crim (which in the prefent age is the refidence of a few miferable Turks 

 and Jews) was then one of the moll magnificent cities in that part of 

 the world. It was the center of a great inland commerce with the Eafl, 

 which was conduded by merchants who traveled in caravans, without 

 any. apprehenfions of being infulted, and were three months upon the 

 road, which was provided with a fufficient number of inns for their ac- 

 commodation, in places afterwards abandoned to deer and wild goats. 

 Caffa, lefs magnificent than Crim, became no lefs famous by means of 

 its advantageous fituation on a bay of the Black fea. The Genoefe, 

 who, ever fince the refloration of the Greek empire, had enjoyed 

 almofl exclufively the trade and navigation of that fea, foon difcovered 

 the importance of Caffa, fnatched it out of the hands of the Tatars, 

 and made it the principal flation of their commerce with all the coun- 

 tries bordering on the Black fea *. \liijh des Huns par De Gui^nes, V, 



iii, A 34-3-] 



At the fame time the merchants of many cities of the northern parts 



of Germany, apparently now adfing as a confederated body (though I 



have not found any authentic document for their being yet known by 



* Stella, the annalid of Genoa, \^a/>. Muralcri lUc Imiifcs built by Aiiria may liavt been the corn- 

 Si-ript. F'. xvii, col. IC95] fays, he cnuld never Jif- menci-ineiit of a plan of enlargement and enibel- 

 i.ovcr at what time Carta had come into the hands lifliment s for it was a place of iome note befoic, 

 1 if the Genoefe ; but he uiidcrllooJ that it was and is even of vci y great aiitiiiuily, being mention- 

 not very lonp; fince lialdus de Auria built the firll ed by Skylax, Strabo, Pliny, and othtl- antient 

 houfcs in it, and fettled in it. — The ellablilhmcnt geographers, under the name of Tlicodofia, a name 

 of the Genoefe was, no doubt, near the lime at lately r'.ltorcd to it by the cmprefs Catherine, in 

 ivliich I Iiavc placed it, from Dc Guigncs : and her affectation of r^-gard for the Greeks. 



